


Pulled up from the Darkness

by old_quincey



Category: Hamlet - Shakespeare, Henry IV Part 1 - Shakespeare, SHAKESPEARE William - Works
Genre: Friendship, M/M, criminal dealings, mouring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-15 03:48:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2214639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/old_quincey/pseuds/old_quincey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poins has fled to Denmark after being caught in some shady dealings in England. He now dedicates his time to corrupting Horatio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pulled up from the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at half midnight. It is quick and not polished and I accidentally did a ship. Written in response to some headcanons on Poins on Tumblr.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m not doing this. I can’t do this.” Horatio mumbled into his folded arms that were currently hiding his face.

“Shut up,” Poins hissed, “You’re fine. Bloody hell, Hor, just breathe would you?”

“My name is not Hor, it’s Horatio. Hor makes me sound like some sort of wanton.” He snapped.

Poins smiled slyly.

“Oh, are you not?” he chuckled despite the well delivered punch to his arm, “Look, just stay down and stay quiet and it’ll all be fine. Trust me?”

“Absolutely not.”

Horatio had no idea what had possessed him to follow this madcap Englishman on one of his schemes. The blasted fellow had been badgering him for months always trying to get him involved in his … activities. He had no idea how they’d even met; it just seemed like one day he’d popped up out of the ground to live as Horatio’s personal demon.

He hated to admit that despite all his teasing and dirty and definitely not funny jokes and criminal tendencies Poins had been a welcome distraction. Horatio knew he wasn’t well. Hadn’t been for some time. His dear, sweet prince was lost and his life left in tatters; he had fallen into a darkness that he didn’t know how to shake off. And then along came this idiot with his bright smiles and cheery disposition. It had been infectious.

Poins had always extended him the invitation to tag along with him when he went ‘acquiring’ but Horatio had always adamantly declined. He may be alright knowing the nature of his irritating shadow’s business but he was not cut from the same cloth. Tonight had been different though.

Poins had come to him, already well into his cups, and had talked more of his life in England than ever before. He talked of his own prince, of how even if his slate was wiped clean he could not return, for he knew that his Hal was not the Hal he had once known. He could not be. Such was the nature of responsibility.

He had talked so casually, as if they were trivial matters, but Horatio noticed how his smiles had not quite reached his eyes.

Pity had brought him here. Pity and sympathy; for he knew exactly what it was to love one tied by duty.

But now, crouching behind a thicket at god knows what o’clock in the morning, he was beginning to lose his nerve. Poins kept popping his head around the bushes to check the track for the carriage he had heard would be playing host to some very fine jewellery. He tensed a little, hearing the soft trudge of horses’ hooves on the leafy ground and hastily turned to pull Horatio’s hood over his head.

“Ready?”

“Poins, we shouldn’t …”

“No it’ll be fine, I told you.”

“Poins …”

“Come on!”

“Ned!”

Poins whipped around on hearing his given name to find his mouth suddenly crushed against Horatio’s. It took a mere matter of moments before he returned the kiss with vigour, completely lost in the feel of Horatio’s slightly chapped and insistent lips. Both men lost sense of time and place, only aware of the warmth of their embrace.

Neither took note of the carriage than calmly rolled past the thicket and carried on, unimpeded.

 

 

 

 


End file.
